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So you were driving down the highway the other day and came up on a clump of slow-moving traffic. After muttering some choice words under your breath, you began weaving through these dawdlers. Then you spotted the reason they were all lagging: a cop car cruising slowly down the road. Were these slowpokes all being cowardly? No, there are at least two ways you can get a ticket for passing a slow police car.

One little-known police tactic for handing out speeding tickets is called “pacing.” If a police officer keeps pace with a speeding car for a given distance, they can say they documented its speed and have enough evidence to ticket the driver. What’s more, this car can be behind or in front of the police cruiser. This is why it’s a bad idea to tailgate a speeding police car.

So first of all: If you find yourself behind a slow-moving police officer, you can legally pull into the left lane and pass them. Obviously, you want to be careful not to exceed the speed limit while doing so. But if you were to get in front of them, then space out and begin to accelerate, you could find yourself in trouble. If you began to speed, all the police officer needs to do is follow you and document your speed. Then they’ve got you for exceeding the speed limit.

You might face a completely different type of ticket, even if you don’t exceed the speed limit. When PA News asked officer Rickey Antoine if its alright to pass a slow police officer he had a two-part response. First, he reiterated, “If you pass a police vehicle, make sure you know the posted speed limit and your vehicle speed.” But he went on to remind drivers that, “The normal driving lane is the right lane anyway. The left lane is for passing and left turning.”

This is an easy law to forget, because many police departments never ticket left lane “cruisers.” But the truth is that it’s illegal to obstruct traffic in all 50 states, and in many states that specifically means you should only use the left lane for passing. An increasing number of departments are stopping and ticketing drivers for hanging out in the left lane.

So second of all: If you find yourself behind a lackadaisical police officer you can legally pull into the left lane to pass them. But if you were to continue driving in the left lane well after you’d cleared the cruiser, the officer could choose to pull you over and ticket you.

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.